Did you think it would be easy? As Ghandi said, “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”

My only advice is keep on going so that others have the well-researched advice that you provide. For instance, after 8 years, our local school has finally taken me up on my offer to do a free in-service on using the Web for education.

Will,

I’m enjoying reading your blog and understand your frustration with few teachers accepting new technologies. I am a distance learning specialist in Southern Indiana and while I’ve made hundreds of visits to area schools, developed a one-stop website with all things video conferencing, done one-on-one trainings and even send programming information directly to teachers still few use IVC in their classrooms.

I unfortunately don’t have any answers and I think I may have been reading your blog when I came to the realization that in order to promote the use of technology in the classroom we as promoters must be out front leading the charge. I don’t see the present mindset changing in education for awhile until one day we look around and American kids aren’t getting the kind of technical jobs that this economy is producing, then suddenly their will come an outcry for schools to use technology.

No I have no great words of wisdom just know that you are not alone in your frustration of educators to embrace technology.

Will, I feel your pain. Education is very slow to embrace change but hang in there. It was only few years ago when many schools were resistant to have Internet access in classrooms.
I honestly believe that it won’t be long until the testing mania in this country disappears and Web 2.0 will be accepted. When that occurs, there will be something new for schools to be wary of and once again, many teachers will adopt the same attitudes.
Hopefully when that happens, you’ll be able to laugh, play and let somebody else continue the mission!

This is in response to the TIme article. I don’t know if I would call my own use of technology “passive.” While I do create and edit content, (not to a great extent) I do prefer to read what others have published. My problem is this; I have always been an avid reader, and consequently, I would NEVER claim that reading is a passive activity. The very fact that I read what others have publised online attests to the fact that I, and others who read, believe in the power of self-publishing. Is this not sign of a big change?

Will, I have been a “passive” reader of your blog for several months now. I understand your issues with time and commitments, I am experiencing the same problems trying to find time to develop my voice. But I can tell you that your blog more than any other inspired me to have a voice and to try to get the message out: that we have to improve the WAY we do things and not just focus on results.

It is easy to get sidetracked and weighed down by the naysayers. Their point is understandable, why make more work for ourselves when we are being successful in light of how are own education progressed. They think we are still competing amongst ourselves, their missing the point.

If you need a lift, go watch the video “Did You Know…” again. You’ll remember why you are doing what you are doing.

I too hear your frustrations when it comes to changing the education model. For many school districts this will have to be a top down approach. We need to ruffle some feathers with the big guys up top in order for anything to change. I have started with constant ideas being thrown at our Board of Education. Hopefully this will force them not to ignore the fact that we need to change the model. In the meantime, we need to keep educating and informing. We all have great ideas, and one day they will be heard.

But isn’t she right?

It’s not about the technology, remember?

Truth is, although someone called your advice research-based, the research does not support technology having any benefit on student achievement.

Bad system that’s too focused on standardized tests? Maybe. Research focusing on the wrong things? Maybe.

A need to focus on instructional design instead of the technology? Yup.

A need to get back to the thought that it’s all about the teaching and learning? You got it.

Get back into a classroom for a few days and try to avoid looking at the “enagagement” level and look at the learning, and then use that to help those of us still in the classroom. We need to learn how to make our students more than enagaged. Engagement does not necessarily correlate to learning. It might start there, but it’s not our end goal, or at least should not be.

Maybe the conversation needs to turn away from the teach and towards the teach.

Maybe this is just a not terribly well thought out comment…

Chris Craft

As a technology director and life-long educator (history/political science), it seems to me that the problem we have is identifying what makes one educated. Ok..look…there has to be a body of knowledge that students have to absorb….and there really isn’t any easy pill to take to get that knowledge transmitted…e.g. kids, for the present time, have to learn to read. Technology should then be a means to take the student (regardless of age) to places he/she couldn’t go before…to be able to analyze information…to be a critical learner…to be a creative citizen of the planet. I had the unfortunate experience of growing up with the “New Math” of the 60s. As a result, I could count in almost every base you could name…unfortunately, my skills in problem solving suffered as teachers found their way through a new method of teaching those skills.

We must be sure that our conversation begins with a given…kids must have basic tools to work with…and those tools must be used at every level and reinforced so that students don’t graduate from schools and still can’t read beyond an elementary level….just my $.02 for the conversation.

Thanks for the comment Chris. She’s not right to imply that technology is what causes kids to plagiarize or to make mistakes in spelling. And in terms of the technology and research, you’re right, though, I don’t think we can think about “student achievement” in the same way any longer.

Natalie: I hear you. I think reading is active as well. I think the distinction that’s being made is in participating in the “write” part of the R/W Web.

Do I believe that simply requiring teachers to use technology tools will transform teaching and learning? What real change will happen when we put technology tools in the hands of these teachers?

Mr. Total Control
Miss Overly Structured
Mrs. Entertains from the Front of the Class
Mr. Blame the Kids
Miss Low Expectations
Mrs. No Confidence No Control
Mr. Content Is All That Counts
Miss NCLB Scores
Mrs. Teach to the Middle
Miss Boring
Mr. Lack of Preparation
Miss I Don’t Have Time for Questions
Mrs. Because I Said So
Mr. I’m Totally Overwhelmed

It is wishful thinking to believe that technology, by itself, will change the fundamental dynamic that theses teachers bring to their classrooms. We are deluding ourselves if we think traditional professional development will significantly change their beliefs, values, and classroom behaviors.

The system can be changed; but the focus has to be on the people, not the technology.

pete

I appreciate the work you do Will, and I can imagine it must be quite frustrating. This mid-shot perspective, the vibe in a room of 500 teachers, is really irrelevant. It doesn’t matter what teachers think. If it mattered, would be be in the midst of this uber testing culture now?

One can go back to when printing techniques first allowed for spacing between words, making silent reading possible… and teachers banned it. Or to when the printing press expanded university libraries… and professors demanded library hours be strictly curtailed. And so on.

Teachers will either be buried, swept up, or pushed aside by these cultural changes. In the big picture it just doesn’t matter what they think. Yes one can imagine cultural shifts that might change the evolution of media networks, but none of them have anything to do with what teachers might say.

When I look at the work you do Will, I don’t think about the mass of skeptical teachers or students who might show up for a presentation. I think about the smaller group who are interested or excited but are unsure of themselves or unsure how to proceed.

I know from your visit to my campus that you make a positive and lasting impression on that group. While it may not matter what teachers as whole think, I do think it’s invaluable work to inspire teachers one at a time, just as we do with our students.

Pete: I totally agree that just putting technology in the hands of teachers is useless. In fact, I would argue that much of what we call professional development around technology is pretty much useless. That’s why more and more I am urging people to look at these technologies in the way they can help their personal learning practice grow and forget the classroom until they have experienced that.

I have been lamenting the same thoughts to my husband. Why it is so hard for educational professionals to change and what will it take for them to jump on board. We came to the conclusion; until you are hit in the face with reality, it doesn’t sink in.

We thought of an example from today’s news media. I am not trying to make a political statement it was just the most obvious situation I could think of. Dan Rather thought he had the material in hand to bring down a president. He did not understand the times properly. Thinking he was still the gatekeeper of information, he put the documents out for all to see. Ten years ago if someone had challenged the document he could have kept it quiet and I sure on many occasions the news media has squelched dissenters. This time however the people had a forum for questioning information called blogs. An individual who knew more then Mr. Rather about font and type set proved that the document was of questionable origins. Instead of brining down a president, Mr. Rather got himself fired. Again I would state not because had change his behavior, but the opposite; he hadn’t changed to meet the current nature information access.

The only way education will change is when it starts to implode just like Mr. Rather. Let us hope that those who have the foresight to see the future can convince others of the need for change and the urgency of the situation before we collapse.

Keep up the good work. Don’t let it get you down. All forward looking people are challenged by the status quo.

Someone wrote when Gutenberg (inventor of printing) contribute to the emergence of books that it would be a bad thing. Using this «devil’s tool» would result that a lot of people stop to communicate face to face. The way used to share knowledge would be «in person»; «we’d be better off without it».

Will, we began «to evangelised» in the same period (some years ago) and I really understand this mood but I think this way to react is a kind of proof that we slowley approach of the tipping point (Malcolm Gladwell). Actually, during the time that I face teacher who denied the challenge of digital natives, I work with people and institutions who get in touch with our message and I have the choice to let me influence by one of them… You bet on what I’ve choosen

See you soon in Atlanta to share more (face to face…)

Will: I want to take the time to thank you for opening my mind to the endles possibilities in the global community. It has been a week since I attended each session that you taught in Baltimore. Once I sat through the first session, I knew this was where I wanted to be.

I agree with your last comment. I have, over the last week become overwhelmed with the flood of information presented globally. With the amount of information that I am taking in, I can’t help but to constantly think of ideas in which to use with my students. Like I said, I have really only been tapped in for a week. I can only imagine how I will feel next week!

Thanks man!

I’ve been teaching since 1980 and the reform effort in my state began 2 years later so my entire career has been about reform. The terminology changed half a dozen times, speakers came and went, three different versions of high stakes testing have been implemented (with two abandoned), but I’ve seen no systemic change in my 26 year career.

Now that I near the end of my career I’ve concluded the biggest problem has been too many drivers vying for control of the bus, each with their own agenda. I fear that no meaningful reform will occur until the teaching profession wrests control from the politicians, business leaders, religious leaders, and all the other do-gooders who know nothing about education but think they are as knowledgeable as those of us who have spent our lives learning the science and craft that is teaching.

We have nothing to fear but fear itself.

Re the article in times business.
Of course the largest % is those comsuming. Even when you put something up yourself you probably go back to the page to check it works, and back later to see what comments people have posted. (so you have only clocked up 33% when you added content).
Similarly each time I go to post something on my Blog I see 2 or 3 articles posted by others in my community that seem worth a look (so I am running at 25% at best on the days that I add content) and often I go on when I am not posting.
Compare the % with a traditional broadcaster. 1 producer 1million consumers (thats about 0.0001%)

I think the thing that frustrates me (and you) the most is the slow pace of change. Probably the biggest change in the past 100 pre-Internet years in education was switching from blackboards to dry-erase boards. Teachers are creatures of habit, in many cases. Technology is evolving at a rate that is astounding to those of us who love it and absolutely terrifying to those who fear/loathe it. Rapid change is not something many are ready to embrace.

I see a few things working in our favor, though.
1. The World. The demands of the real world will, in the end, force educators to change or will replace them with a better system.
2. The Power of the Testimony. Teachers I have had the privilege of working with to create classroom/collaborative blogs, wikis, videos, podcasts, etc. are excited. Practice exams and standardized tests are, to be kind, not exciting. I believe there will be evidence that teaching children to create thoughtful, significant projects, to work together, and to solve bigger problems will impact test scores far more, ultimately, than another bubble-sheet. Successful students + excited, motivated teachers will equal converts.
3. Increased accessibility. Technology is getting faster and less expensive. High-speed Internet is penetrating more homes and schools, and Internet2 is just around the corner. Teachers are coming around to the idea that they can reach beyond the school walls and school day if they can involve their students in web-based, meaningful learning. We will be able to connect with our students as never before.

I’d also add this. When I was in school, cheating was done using a small piece of paper, a ball-point pen under a sleeve, a glance at a friend’s exam, etc. I guess these are all elements of the devil, but I don’t think we’ll likely see a student sitting alone in an empty classroom, giving oral answers to an attentive proxy anytime soon. A hammer can build great things in the right hands, or it can smash a finger. The key is having a great mentor to show us how it’s done.

Blog brother, blog! There is not much passivity in me starting up my computer, going to your blog, reading your postings and contemplating its significance.

If I do not always comment and contribute, it is simply that I do not have anything relevant to add. But that does not minimise the value of your posting and the wisdom I can glean from it.

But how many of the 500 didn’t applaud?

Hi Will,

I can only imagine how difficult it must be to hear comments like this, but you are gifted with vision and skill and NEED to keep plugging away with your message.
I know when you conducted your workshop for us a few weeks ago, you exposed our educators to ideas and possiblities that they had neither heard nor thought about before. I am still getting calls and emails from participants about how much they enjoyed your presentation, how much they learned, and asking for your contact information so they can possibly have you come to speak at their institutions.
Many of our educators are still struggling to get computers and projectors in their classrooms - there are many obstacles to overcome- but somehow those of us who know things must change have to keep pushing until we get access to ALL the tools they we and our students need.
So please take a rest but don’t give up.
Thanks for all you do!!
Stevie

Read Jakob Nielsen on How to Overcome Participation Inequality:
http://www.useit.com/alertbox/participation_inequality.html
His conclusion: You can’t.
“The first step to dealing with participation inequality is to recognize that it will always be with us. It’s existed in every online community and multi-user service that has ever been studied.”

Les nouvelles technologies, ces outils diaboliques…

La tendance actuelle chez certains enseignants, de «diaboliser» les nouvelles technologies (elles servent d’outils pour tricher, elles isolent et c’est mieux de ne pas les utiliser pour apprendre ou faire apprendre car tout devient trop complexe) m…

With regard to the time article, 1% active, 99% passive. What’s the percentage on a dissertation say? How much of the content of the dissertation, when compared to all the resources that were “passively” read and accessed. It would be pretty scary to be providing content 99% of the time, but only reviewing other content 1% of the time.

With regard to making change … my district is doing a “23 things-esque” in-service over the summer, and focusing some of our before school in-service on technology as a direct result of my passive participation in an NCCE conference (you presented at) and my mostly passive participation in places such as this blog. Will it change all of our teachers? certainly not. Will some think it is the work of the devil? Certainly. I don’t worry too much about them … there are many that want to improve and want to learn new ways. They are who will benefit. And once they start gaining from the new way, the others will eventually follow.

First, the 1% rule may not be entirely correct, especially if you look at different levels of participation.

Look at this research, reported in ZDNet:
13% Creators
19% Critics
15% Collectors
19% Joiners
33% Spectators
52% Inactives

That means that 48% of people are doing *something,* even if that something isn’t writing their own blog or creating their own videos. Frankly, that’s not bad.

As for Chris’ comment that technology doesn’t affect learning, what the research actually shows is that if the teaching methods are the same, the medium doesn’t matter. A lecture results in the same learning whether you hear it in person, via video conference, or through a podcast. But that’s not why we use technology–the point is that it enables us to do things that we couldn’t do before. When used *effectively* teaching with technology can be quite a bit better for students than teaching without it.

For example, I read one (admittedly small) study which compared traditional classroom methods with mobile learning and short practice exercises. Students in the mobile learning group had 11% higher scores on a post test than the classroom group. After two weeks, the difference was even greater: 28%. The mobile learning group retained more than the classroom group. I expect that this had as much to do with the teaching methods as anything else, but mobile learning let students get practice in ways they couldn’t gain in a traditional classroom.
Here’s the source for that study: http://www.online-journals.org/index.php/i-jet/article/view/8

There are people for whom all the research results in the world aren’t going to make a difference, and you have to accept that you’re not going to reach people who think technology is the devil. But let’s start by citing the research accurately and using it to our advantage with the people who are open to listening.

As I wrote in a post this morning (http://www.assortedstuff.com/?p=1959), the Time article narrowly focuses on a few high profile sharing sites and completely misses the bigger picture. What about blogs (all 70,000,000 of us), MySpace (and all of it’s clones), Digg, Delicious, and more? All of them contribute small pieces to the larger picture.

Even taking all these other opportunities for sharing into account it probably doesn’t add up to a lot, maybe 10% of web users. But look how that has grown in five years and imagine how many more people will be part of the mix in another five.

Look at the glass as 10% full rather than 90% empty.

Will,
Believe me, a lot of us feel your pain.

I think, however, that by reacting to this resistance by advocating personal use, you are actually retreating further from the place where change actually happens — the classroom. Why not run workshops for kids?

Second, you are equating constructivism with collaboration and simply being connected to sources of information. Web 2.0 tools aren’t automatically constructivist. They CAN be, but just using certain tools does not guarantee that.

Finally, when you say, “We are so stuck in keeping our kids dependent on us to learn, taking little or no advantage of the freedoms that are available to us these days.” - we are also doing the same thing to teachers. We create teachers dependent on others (from curriculum companies to outside consultants to inhouse experts) telling them what to do, or giving them some inspiration for 2 hours. But if teachers have no time to do it for themselves, nor the support to actually change what they do in the classroom, nor are included in the planning conversations — then it’s crazy to call them names because they won’t change.

No offense to you, because I’ve seen you and what you do is great, but you are constrained by what the schools you visit see as valuable and what they are willing to let you do. The whole idea of teacher professional development should be called into question.

Will, From the number of responses to this posting, it is clear that you hit a nerve. The value of technology in the classroom and teachers’ use of it are still “hot” topics. After attending your session at the MICCA conference in Baltimore and having my eyes opened to the range of the read/write web, I”m even more passionate about the use of technology in today’s classrooms. I”m concerned about the high drop out rate in today’s high schools and the disconnect between the skills that we are teaching our students and the skills that they will need to be successful. I can see the potential to address both of these concerns through Web 2.0 tools. I concur with a prior comment that while I’m an avid reader, I seldom post to avoid needless duplication of comments. Keep the faith. You are doing important work.

Hey Will,
Yesterday my superintendent asked me to teach her team about wikis and Moodle. How cool is that! Thanx, Will, for teaching me.

I wonder whether the American institution of public education can be reformed. (Not a novel question, I know…)

I went back to school (online @ WGU) to get my teaching certificate. I am almost done now. Previously, I was an elementary school librarian and the school district Technology Director. I went back to school so I could make a difference.

But now… I just don’t see how I can make a difference in public education. I am planning to withdrawn my son from public school next year and homeschool him. I plan to talk about my decision and my rationale publicly. I plan to use technology to connect my son to learners everywhere. Of course, I plan to teach him to do that for himself as well. I am not planning to teach in a public school.

I am confident those decisions will make a difference for my son. I am not confident they will change public education; but perhaps they will. Perhaps they will “hasten the destruction of public education”. I don’t use that phrase lightly. I am very attached to the teachers and learners that are currently invested in public education. I wish no harm to them; but I am no longer attached to the institution itself. I am ready for it to dissolve. The diversity of alternatives that continue to grow in the shadow of public education (taken as a whole) have got to better than public education itself. No doubt there are some failed attempts; but there are many bright and shiny spots too.

If (or when) public education fails totally, the agonizing question remains. How do the under-privileged get educated? I have no answer to that question. I wish that I did.

Mario, it even predates Gutenberg.

“…The parent or inventor of an art is not always the best judge of the utility or inutility of his own inventions to the users of them. And in this instance, you who are the father of letters, from a paternal love of your own children have been led to attribute to them a quality which they cannot have; for this discovery of yours will create forgetfulness in the learners’ souls, because they will not use their memories; they will trust to the external written characters and not remember of themselves. The specific which you have discovered is an aid not to memory, but to reminiscence, and you give your disciples not truth, but only the semblance of truth; they will be hearers of many things and will have learned nothing; they will appear to be omniscient and will generally know nothing; they will be tiresome company, having the show of wisdom without the reality.”

– Socrates on the written word, from Phaedrus.

Distrust of new technology has been around for a long time. Note that we see the same argument used today against the use of calculators in the classroom, and the use of web reference materials.

I was at this conference. In fact, I was exactly two seats behind the person making the “Technology is the Devil” response. I wanted to cuff her in the back of the head. After speaking with my colleagues, I can certainly say that not everyone at the presentation shared this woman’s sentiments. In fact, I feel compelled to apologize on the vitriolic remarks made by some during your presentation.

I am a frequent user of digital technology in the classroom. I believe that it is extremely important to educate our youth on how to effectively use this technology. Spell-check should not be considered a chimera in education. Teachers who intimate that spell-check has crippled our youth have proverbially dropped the ball. I teach my students skills in using both the dictionary and spell-check. The use of one does not preclude the use of the other. Teaching students how to utilize digital technology is essential in preparing students life. Too often teachers seem to believe that instructing students in the use of PowerPoint becomes of utmost importance. I feel this to be faulty thought. Instead, it is essential to teach students how to use programs correctly and generalize this usage. This includes using word-processing programs correctly (actually reading the suggested spelling corrections instead of blindly choosing a suggestion), evaluating the credibility and worth of online information, forming connections online, etc.

I have generally found that teachers who find technology to be the bane of education are those ill-equipped to use it. They are comfortable in their teaching style and resist the change. This is due, in part, to ineffective training with various technologies. We would like to believe that teachers are life-long learners. Sadly, this is not the case. I wish techno-phobic teachers were those who are nearing the end of their career. Unfortunately, this fear of technology appears to be the opinion of younger teachers as well. Perhaps long-term, comprehensive, site-based training sessions in digital technology would assist in fostering technological acceptance. This is something I have yet to see districts implement. Instead, teachers attend basic “how to use this technology” sessions, are handed the technology, and left to fend for themselves with little in the way of supplemental instruction. Break-neck speeds are not the way to encourage teachers to use digital technology. As humans, we fear what we do not understand, and too many people (i.e. teachers) seem to have little understanding of how computers work and/or how to effectively use technology handed to them. Only through understanding how to effectively use digital technology will we begin to eradicate sentiments of technology as being evil.

It’s easy to dismiss that teacher as a luddite because she dismisses technology… but I wouldn’t, because she wasn’t wrong. She was just overreacting. The fact is… the internet has resulted in an increase in brazen plagiarism by students and yes.. they can spell check their errors easily.

I think her objections just need a good reframing. In fact, she made a good point that you can use: Technology has a downside. Why yes… it does. There’s a downside to everything. Democracy has a downside (we all know the adage: the price of freedom is eternal vigilance, and it’s correlary: the price of eternal vigilance is death… so if she’s looking for a world in which there are no downsides to choices.. it’s not here) Access everywhere by everyone to everything means that some people will abuse their access, and there will always be numerous and inventive ways to do it.

On the other hand, access is a two way street. For a teacher worried about plagiarism… it’s now a lot easier to uncover plagiarism. I google and catch at least four or five students a year stealing work and passing it off as their own. In the past, I would have had to hunt down the books used, and although I believe in real consequences for real actions… you can bet I’m not going to the library to check for student plagiarists.

Spell check is similarly both a positive and a negative. It’s true; students can spell check… if they only would. This particular teacher may bemoan the fact that her students use spell check, I bemoan the fact that my students do not. Neither do they bother to find out why they’ve got the squiggly lines under their words and phrases. I WANT them to use the tools available to them to revise their work. My problem isn’t that they can uncover errors they didn’t know they made, my problem is that they think punctuating or spelling words correctly is an optional activity.. some sort of mundane unnecessary task that has nothing to do with the brilliance of their ideas.

So many perspectives on every issue. I think my prayer for today is try to keep an open mind so I might see something I haven’t yet and to hope that the reframing I need will be gentle and ongoing.

Will
I think the numbers of comments on this post are a clear indicator “Don’t give up!”. I have previously lamented, “Why haven’t we listened to Dewey?” and think about how long ago he was saying these things! His voice and message are still echoing in our school corridors and so will ours. Teachers are making changes slowly, but without the mavericks, these changes would be even slower and without focus. So keep on shouting your message down the corridors, we can hear you and are echoing them in our corridors in our countries, in our schools. We hear you in NZ.

In my role as a technology coordinator, I’ve tried just about everything to nudge the change we all yearn for. Teachers love after school workshops, but I’ve found that the learning seldom transfers to the classroom. I think that coaching is the method that works best…co-planning a lesson with a teacher, then teaching together for a half-day. I tend to take the lead at first, but make sure that the teacher understands that they will soon take over the lead, with me being on hand to assist if needed. The teacher develops confidence and takes the initiative to try other tech lessons. It also has something to do with developing a personal relationship and support system. It reminds me of the starfish story with the old man on the beach throwing starfish that had washed ashore back into the ocean one by one. As he was throwing one, someone walked by and asked why he bothered because there were so many, and he replied, “because it matters to that one.”

There seems to be a tipping point when the read/write web makes sense to a school community. I have been frustrated, that’s certain, but I am very excited to say that I am feeling things click with my teachers! We’ve got a Wordpress MU server running, a community del.icio.us account, a third grade wiki, and best of all, a new conversation in the hallways about how to leverage these tools. We’re just beginning to do this as an organization, I know, but the foundation is being laid for the future. I am so energized to see how methods change next year. Your message it resonating and I thank you!

Teachers are generally a very conservative group. How many of our young exciting teachers leave quickly after commencing their careers because they do not like the constraints of lesson plans, achievement targets, testing, annual plans etc. They move to exciting vibrant professions which are hugely embracing the new technologies.
How many schools still use rulers (for measuring) and atlases and dictionaries and so on. These things are rare in modern business so it is no surprise that so many dynamic youth leave to go to industries which embrace their creativity and drive. When did someone out of education last write an essay with a pen and paper or draw a pie graph with a protractor.
We are often left with teachers who are unable or unwilling to change and adapt so it is not surprising they find this technology is ‘the devil’.
The role of people like you Will is to provide the key to the path. Some will take it. I have and it is hugely exciting and challenging

WOW–lots of nerves hit here
Pam–I am fortunate enough to be working as a technology coach and it is SO TRUE. I have gotten teachers to take risks this year that they never would have on their own. The underlying theme of almost every one of these posts is CHANGE. Change is tough…in a way the speaker was right. If we put laptops in kids hands with the expectation that they have to do traditional assignments like writing a paper….sure they are going to cut, paste, copy and plagerize. Back in the day…in order to write a paper you needed to read, construct meaning and rewrite….now because it is so easy to obtain information the expectations need to change..As Chris put it…Maybe the conversation needs to turn away from the tech and towards the teach.
Great post Will….

How do you bring real change about? One teacher at a time.

In a high school, that teacher might see 150 kids. Changing 1 changes 150. Changing 2 changes 300…that’s the challenge, that’s the power.

The power of one.

And to lighten the mood…frankly, I’m surprised at your inability to handle this disappointment…you’ve been a Cubs fan all your life! That should have prepared you for anything! Sorry, couldn’t resist.

Keep the faith, brother.

Will,
The next time a lady stands up and tells you, “technology is the devil,” remind her that the books sitting on her bookshelf, the car in her driveway, and the clothes on her back are all technology. Heck, the puffs of air emanating from her mouth are technology. Humans are always inventing new ways to connect with one another and to extend themselves.

Ask her if we should just ban all publishing - heck even ban all speech - to keep everyone out of trouble. Much easier that way.

Will, you begin to change the world one person at a time. I think Karl Fisch’s question is crucial: “how many of the 500 didn’t applaud?” Suppose that one person who did applaud later realized that you made some excellent points and then shared their thoughts with one other person. Will, I know what reading your blogs has done for me and I have an idea of what I’ve done for some other people. Don’t let yourself get down. You are making an incredible difference!!

When Galileo discovered moons around Jupiter, it provided scientific support for the Copernican view of the solar system. This idea was so far removed from what many scientists were comfortable with, that some refused even to look in the telescope in front of them, claiming he was making it up by some trick, some ‘devilry’ perhaps.
There is this angst in education. Not that of the students, but of those educators who see, feel and live in this shift that’s occurring all around us. And as good educators, we want to yell out to those who turn their back to the oncoming train and warn them, help them, educate them, something!
Yet some teachers, like the scientists, have a view of the world where this shift is as unsettling as learning that the Earth revolves around the sun. They cannot bring themselves to that place and my only (unsolicited advice would be to look to the students. When you have examples of student work, that everyone recognizes as quality and of high academic rigor, the arguments go away. Any time I conduct training for staff, I use students to conduct as much of it as possible.

“Look, I’m not the most technologically savvy, but I have to tell you that in a lot of ways I think all this technology is the devil. I mean my kids plagiarize stuff left and right, they don’t learn how to spell because of spell check, and I just think we’d be better off without it.”

You know, I’m pretty technologically savvy and in a lot of ways, I think all this pen-and-paper is the devil. I mean, kids draw rude pictures left and right, they copy work over one another’s shoulders during tests, they send notes to each other during lessons, they make paper aeroplanes, their corrections are messy and I just think we’d be better off without it.

What? No applause?

Sorry - I couldn’t resist.

Will,
Maybe the next time someone shares that sentiment with you at a conference, you could pull up Marco Torres’ parody, “When I Become a Teacher.” It resonates now more than ever.
http://homepage.mac.com/lesleyu/iMovieTheater.html

You ask for suggestions on figuring out where to best focus your time and energy to effect change. How about a session with the National School Boards Association (whose members are involved with the hiring of superintendents and principals), the National Association of Secondary Principals, the National Association of Elementary Principals, or the American Association of School Administrators — kind of like a “David and Goliath” approach.

In Michigan, we know reaching the decision-makers works — not in every county and district — but frequently enough to make us optimistic. It’s all about change, and whose “ox is being gored,” isn’t it? Since in this case the ox is our essentially voiceless students, you need to continue speaking for them! Thanks for all you do!

On having choice……

Will Richardson recently commented on some personal frustrations with the limited uptake and impact of the social software tools: “And so I’m still trying to figure out where the best spend of my time and energy is in terms of……

We need to develop a bridge between Web 2.0 and solid pedagogy with a focus on inquiry, relevant learning, first and foremost. If a teacher has a solid educational pedagogy with relevant learning as a priority they will be more apt to pick-up Web 2.0 and embrace it as their own. I work with so many teachers who are still teaching out of textbooks and having the kids do work their out of work books… its not very relevant and sure is not interesting. Will, I suggest you covertly get yourself involved in the schools of education around the country. They are full of freshly packed young men and women that are full of inquiry based, progressive ideas that are biting at a chance to save the world and teach their hearts out. I am currently in graduate school getting a 2nd maters and the professors are more clueless, when it comes to Web 2.0, than any educator I currently work with at the middle school level.

Sorry, ranting a bit there. One last thing, we need to approach Web 2.0 in a way that incorporates traditional instruction, the all or none method will only alienate educators. We must always remember that teachers hate change; it makes them reflect on what they have been doing for the last 15 or so years.

tick, tick, tick: questioning the revolution…

Another field dispatch from the Juxtapose This! department: The latest edition of Education Week has a story on school leaders’ blogs—mentions include Kim Moritz, Scott McLeod, Will Richardson, Jan Borelli, and others. But, in EdWeek as in life, som…

Will, as one of the students in your school leaders’ class who was inspired and used much of what we discussed and learned during those months, I believe that to truly make a difference, the approach needs to change. Those who felt threatened by the beauracracy of their systems worry about their jobs and while we would all like to think that we would rise to the call–it is not always possible especially for financial reasons.

I am lucky, in that I do not work in the public sector and I do not have all the restrictions associated with public school. But, after spending a couple of decades in education, I believe that in order to truly exact change, we have to acknowledge the political aspects of change. Change the minds of the legislatures; change the minds of the superintendents and associations; change the minds of the teachers’ unions–AFT/NEA, change the parents–and then change in the principals and teachers. Schools love to work in a top down manner. I believe the challenge is not to get the principals involved and on board–the challenge is to get those in the political arena on board.

Education loves new programs, new philosophies–whole language, diagnostic prescriptive, phonics based, non-phonics based, learning centers, collaboration, and the list goes on and on. And, educators always have reasons for not moving to the next level. It makes one wonder how mankind stopped using their toes and fingers and moved perhaps the abacus.

Talk to all stakeholders–sell to the top thereby giving the prinicpals the freedom, the opportunity and the support necessary to become risk takers and innovators. This is the true challenge.

And of course, celebrate those who have the ability to take those forward steps–build off of those small triumphs to support the (your)message.

I hear exactly the same comments from colleagues on a daily basis. It will take time for this to filter through, but we just have to keep on fighting. Change happens very slowly - too slowly for some of us and it is so frustrating.

I know you won’t give up - you are too passionate about it. We need the shining star models out there for all to see.

It can be really frustrating but there are legs out there to your work, Will, and children benefit every time a teacher tests out a blog after reading your very accessible and well done book, or leave a workshop you’ve done and then go and look completely differently at a unit. It’s slow for sure but things are happening.

I am glad the teacher felt like she could say what she thinks. She expresses the doubts that many have. Although I don’t agree with her at all, I think she is reflecting the reality now out there in most schools.

Somehow, what you said made people feel they HAD TO respond! That is good. Maybe we are nearing a tipping point.

I feel your frustration. In a faculty meeting the other day, I was asked to talk about a technology in-service day we were planning for August - web 2.0, digital storytelling, rss, etc. After I was finished, there was time for feedback or comments on the day. One teacher responded “…this sounds boring…” which of course opened the floor for all the technophobes in the room to express their discomfort with spending a whole day learning about technology. Change is hard for many.

I agree with several of the posts above - we won’t be able to sway all teachers all the time, but I do feel like we are getting closer to that tipping point.

J wrote:

“I was at this conference. In fact, I was exactly two seats behind the person making the “Technology is the Devil” response. I wanted to cuff her in the back of the head.”

Your violent remark offsets the impact of your subsequent points. Integrity first, online and in person.

This System Cannot Be Saved…

The recent confluence of three news stories drove me, finally, to this conclusion: I, like so may others, have been moving the deck chairs on the Titanic around long enough. The ship is going down and we need viable alternatives……

I saw your recent presentation on 30 April. I have been using the technology available to me in the elemntary classroom for the last 8 years. I’ve taught educational technology at the college level for several years as well. The way to increase the use of technology in the classroom is to have teachers comfortable with it. This needs to be an integral part of their training. Licensed teachers are being required to take proficiency tests in academic areas but not in the use of technology or computing. While colleges are now offering or even requiring some technology training, no testing of techology skills(except for those specializing in educational technology) are required.
Education tends to react to societal needs, not precede it.
We need new teachers coming into the field to be able and dedicated users of the technology. All things change.
After all, as Yogi Berra (or Pogo Possum) once said, “The trouble with the future ain’t what it used to be.”

[...] This is something Will Richardson touched on recently in a post titled “‘Technology is the Devil’ and other considerations“: while there are many, many teachers out there who communicate a real interest in re-envisioning their practice, on the whole, there’s little I’m seeing that suggests that any real systemic change or rethinking of the education model is occurring. [...]

[...] Posted on May 7th, 2007. It’s all so amusing, isn’t it? And surprising. I was surprised this morning when our staff voted on the topics where they’d like to see our building’s professional development focus next year, and technology made the list. So often in meetings and conversations online with technology coordinators, I get the feeling that we are forcing these technological tools upon people, but here was a clear example of teachers saying, “Hey, this technology thing is important, and we’d like some help!” [...]

Will,

As another one of the leaders in the class that had concerns about their blogs, I do not work in public school. I just want you to know I’m still working toward change in our Catholic Schools. And see - I’m still reading your blog

[...] Pass this on to any educators who think that technology is the devil or that they can hide until all the Internet stuff is gone. Following danah boyd’s advice might actually encourage critical thinking and learning. [...]

“Look, I’m not the most technologically savvy, but I have to tell you that in a lot of ways I think all this technology is the devil.”

This sentence would not be tolerated in any other field but education. Why?

Business, advertising, mining, publishing, health care etc., all rely on technology in order to function. Why must K - 12 education be different.

The tipping point is near. I can feel it. I will re-iterate the cry of most of the posts above me.

Keep at it!

Every little word counts.

I’m a young enough educator to remember the “calculator wars” - you know, the ones we’re still having 20 years later? Anyway, I remember teachers saying that students shouldn’t be given calculators, because how will we ever know how to do long division when there is no calculator present?

You know what? They gave us calculators in the 4th grade. I don’t know how to do long division. Some people might see this as a problem. My question is - when will I EVER be without a calculator? I have one on my cell phone which is always on my person. In order to use a calculator, you do have to understand the concepts of math. While I couldn’t tell you how to do long division without a calculator, I can still get you the answer.

I guess that’s my feelings on this whole technology thing. We are teaching students as if they will never have the internet at their disposal 24/7, which is just impractical and, well, stupid. Most of what I learned of technology, I taught myself. Most of my students are that way, too. How cool would it be if they were able to learn about technologies (or at least, how to apply them to education) from teachers? I had no idea that the Civil War MUD (yes, I’m a geek - shut up) that I played in high school taught me about organization, management, military strategies, e-mail communication and delegation as well as history. I figured it out one day when someone my own age asked me how I figured out all of this technology stuff. Would you like to know how I got interested in such a game? My teacher - the most un-tech-savvy-person-known-to-mankind - sparked an interest in the Civil War. I found the game through surfing the internet (before Google was popular - so ACTUAL surfing) and told him about it. He didn’t understand a single word about the technology, but he encouraged me and asked every day how my troops were doing (again, shut up).

My point - though I take a while to make it - is that just because you don’t understand the technology, don’t discourage kids from using it in ways they are passionate about. Your kid can’t spell? Who cares? (Neither can I, for that matter) As long as they know how to use spell check - that is to say, can interpret the results of spell check - they will be fine. Maybe in the future, we will all talk and write like that commercial: “idk, my bff Jill? tisnf!” We don’t really know what the future is going to bring, but we can be sure that technology is here to stay.

Keep up the good work. Know that there are others out there spreading the word, too. Preach on, brother-man!

Plato warned that using books would cause a decline in the arts of memory. I’m pretty sure he was right. I think the trade-off was worth it. You can’t fit the entire population into the Groves of Academe.